Chicago Ledger

[3] Although begun as a literary paper of "a good class,"[4] the Ledger eventually became more melodramatic in tone.

In his 1910 book, Newspapers and Periodicals of Illinois, Franklin Scott, notes that "[t]he sensational, although not immoral, character of the Ledger stories, and the use that the large mail-order houses have made of its advertising columns, have given this paper an unusually long life and extensive circulation.

Later issues had a supplement called the Little Ledger, which offered "Useful Knowledge, Romance, and Amusement for Young People.

"[10] Contributors to the Chicago Ledger included Weldon J. Cobb,[11] Harry Stephen Keeler,[12] and Randall Parrish.

[13] Noted African-American author Charles W. Chesnutt[14] wrote two short stories, "The Doctor’s Wife" and "A Metropolitan Experience," published in June, 1887.